


Turnabout Tupperware

by fishandcchips



Category: TWRP | Tupper Ware Remix Party (Band), 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Courtroom Drama, Crossover, Gen, Mild Gore, Murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24316645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishandcchips/pseuds/fishandcchips
Summary: When Lazerhorse is murdered in the TWRP household, Sung is immediately suspected. Something sinister may be afoot and it's up to Phoenix and his assistant Maya to figure it out!
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	1. Lazerhorse Is Fucking Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, ok, watch me try my damn hardest to do this!!!
> 
> At first, this was just a small idea fuelled by my love for both TWRP and Ace Attorney! Then it quickly developed into something of a story!
> 
> You can check this out whenever it's basically the origins of why this even exists. https://cchippytime.tumblr.com/post/618200839765573632/heartsinclaire-cchippytime-cchippytime

On a dark and dreary night, the wind howls and seep through the trees and grass. A man takes his final breaths, weak and shaky. He can’t help but laugh, which is drowned out by the wind’s wails against the walls of the house he had been held captive in for years. His one chance of freedom spoiled by a knife-wielding… He couldn’t tell what it was. His vision was blurry as he exhaled roughly.

“Man, this sucks.” The man sucks in air as he tends to the blood-oozing gash on his side. “I expected to at least be able to escape this basement by my mid-thirties.” He coughs, dragging himself across the floor as some last means of escape.

A foot slams beside him. “Yeah, but they wouldn’t be happy with that would they?” A low voice coos, making the man on the floor shiver. “Now I can’t have you wriggling about on the floor so...” The figure above him pulls out his knife, they hold the dying man down by gripping onto his neck. He can’t help it but he inhales sharply. “Goodbye, Lazerhorse.” They say sotto voce before plunging the knife into him.

* * *

**[ May 16, 10:43 AM ]**

**[ Wright And Co. Law Offices ]**

A fan whirs lazily in the background as Phoenix taps his pen against his desk, reading the form once… twice… He looks up, leaning on his hand and glances around his tiny office, the bookshelf behind him filled with files, Charley, the light hanging above him, dull as a lightbulb could ever be, the dusty phone next to it, the printer completely shut off and the doorway that leads into the room where loud sound effects and music blasts from the TV. 

Courtesy of Maya, of course.

Laying down the papers, Phoenix decides to stand up. He had been sitting and working ever since he entered his office, it’s made his back grow stiff and his brain unfocused. He stretches his back, raising his arms and yawning. A loud _‘CRK!’_ sounds causing Phoenix to yelp and double over. _“Crap…”_ He hisses.

“Are you alright, Nick?!” Maya yells over the TV.

“Yeah, _peachy…_ ” Phoenix walks over to the coffee machine, rubbing his back to soothe the pain. He sees Maya leaning over the couch to see him, she laughs at him.

She slithers back on the couch, laying on her side. “Are you just getting old?” She jokingly asks, switching through the channels.

“Shut up…” Phoenix groans as he turns on the kettle. The kettle begins to rumble and softly whistle as the water inside it warms up.

Suddenly, the phone’s all too familiar deafening ring echoes through the office. There’s a second of realisation before Maya and Phoenix begin scrambling and racing to the phone like two newborn deer learning how to _run_ for the first time. Somehow, Maya turns off the TV and makes it to the phone first, taking advantage of Phoenix’s sore back.

She laughs at Phoenix as she watches him scowl playfully, she teasingly poking out her tongue before taking the phone up to her ear. “Hello! Wright And Co. Office, refreshing like a fresh breeze!” She starts, much to Phoenix’s absolute dismay. “How may we help you?”

“‘Suh!” Sounds the person on the other side of the line. “Uh– Well, my friend got arrested for the murder of another friend of mine. He needs a lawyer and the name _‘Phoenix Wright’_ sounds cool enough.”

Maya huffs confidently. “Well, you’ve called the right place! Can we set up an appointment, sir?” She scrambles around Phoenix’s desk, taking a blank piece of paper and writing down notes as she continues to talk and converse with the man on the phone.

Phoenix, pushes in his back as this is happening, as his back pops he lets out a relieved groan. By the time Maya’s finishes, Phoenix is sipping on a nice hot cup of coffee, his back healing from the crack. 

“Is your old man back feeling alright?” Maya jests, teasingly poking Phoenix’s back.

“I’m not an old man yet,” Phoenix answers in a matter-of-factly fashion while shooing Maya’s hand away. “I was just sitting at my desk for ages.” Even talking about it made his back feel as if it was stiffening up again.

“Sure,” Maya grins teasingly while passing Phoenix the paper she was writing on before. 

“So, who was the guy on the phone?”

Maya shrugs. “He said his name was Commander Meouch.”

Phoenix's eyebrow raises. “Commander... Meouch?”

“Don’t ask me,” Maya says. “His friend needs a lawyer, he was accused of murder.” Phoenix took another sip of his coffee, analyzing the page given to him. “The guy said he wanted to come as soon as possible, so he’s coming by at around 12.”

“That’s in like…” Phoenix examines the clock. 10:57. “An hour pretty much.” He takes time to look around the office, it wasn’t messy but some things could be adjusted. “We should prepare the office.”

 _“Aw, what?”_ Maya pouts. “Nick, the office looks fine, let’s get something to eat instead!”

Phoenix sputters. “No! Didn’t you have breakfast?”

Maya nervously chuckles. “I woke up late again and didn’t have time to make myself breakfast.” She itches the back of her neck while grinning foolishly. “Sorry.”

Phoenix frowns. “...Okay, _fine_ ,” He grumbles reluctantly. “I can’t have you working on an empty stomach.” He walks over to his office desk and shrugs on his brown satchel bag. “I’m only getting you one burger, **_one_ **.” He holds up his index finger to clarify, his brows furrowing in determination. Maya nods, a smile brightening her face as the two head for the door. “And as soon as you’re done we’re coming straight back here, okay?”

Phoenix opens the door and Maya let’s out a hearty, “Yessir!” Before heading out the door and shutting it behind both of them.

* * *

Three burgers and a milkshake later, they finally decide to head back. Phoenix whimpers at his slightly lighter wallet before packing it back in his pocket. On the other hand, Maya marches down the street with confidence, holding her head up high and smiling with pride. Phoenix grimaces at Maya’s absolute pleasure as they walk back to the office.

Phoenix fishes through his satchel and yanks out a set of keys, before stopping suddenly. What’s stopping him in his tracks is a man waiting near their office door… perhaps their client?

The man stood away from the two, it was tall (taller than both Phoenix and Maya at least) and wore a casual outfit, baggy sweatpants and a blue flannel. Perhaps the most intriguing part of this character was his overgrown hair, which was something akin to a mane, that was being held back with a single blue sweatband. The man scrolls through his phone before starting to turn around.

It was then that the gravity of the situation dawns on Phoenix because as the man switches directions it became painfully obvious that whatever this thing was, it _wasn’t_ a man.

He bears the face of a _lion,_ sharp teeth and all. It becomes apparent that this thing’s hair is _actually_ a magnificent mane. Suddenly, it’s head jerks up, the beast’s fierce blue eyes focus on Phoenix and Maya, who was frozen in place by the intense stare.

“Oh, h’suh dudes!” He beams, waving his hand to the two as a normal person would. He casually walks towards the lawyer and his assistant.

“Wow, that’s a nice costume!” Maya chirps, as she says that Phoenix can’t help but to slightly back away from the lion as he comes closer. “It looks really realistic!”

The talking lion chuckles before looking back with slight concern on his face. “C-Costume?” 

“Anyway,” Maya starts, ignoring the lion confusion. “You’re Commander Meouch, right?”

“Yeah,” He huffs pridefully. “That would be me!” The lion grins, pridefully showing off a set of sharp teeth.

 _‘Just a costume. Just a costume.’_ Phoenix reminds himself.

“I was just waiting here for a few minutes, I didn’t know if you guys were just ignoring me or something.” He jokes. 

“What? No! We’d never do that!” Maya says. Phoenix slightly disagrees but does not comment. “Let’s all go inside and discuss what happened to your friend.”

Phoenix walks past Meouch faster than he would like to admit. He fumbles with his keys, he can never remember which one’s for the office for some reason. He twists the key and the lock clicks before the door cracks open. Phoenix pushes the door, letting Maya and Meouch into the office.

Commander Meouch is tall enough that the top part of his mane almost reaches the ceiling. Phoenix cautiously walks over to his desk to grab a couple of documents as the spirit medium continues talking to the giant lion man. When he comes back into the main room, Meouch is talking about his band, describing their space adventures and their heroic journeys. Maya’s eyes shine with intrigue.

Phoenix can’t help but smile and for a second he forgets the fear when he was first faced with the man. “Okay,” He starts, showing off the documents in his hand. “Let’s get started.”


	2. Al-ee-byes and Aye-lee-ans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phoenix and Maya go to the detention centre to meet their client, Doctor Sung. Turns out he's a lot more eccentric than either could be prepared for.

Phoenix and Maya travel through the hectic and bustling city. They find that the sky is mostly clear save for the little lumps of clouds here and there. Phoenix pulls Maya away from any restaurant with the word ‘burger’ on them and Maya pulls Phoenix away from the prosecutor’s office, attempting to sustain focus on their task. Eventually, they make it to the detention centre, a place both of them have entered way too frequently.

They do their usual routine, the guards stop them, they ask who they are and why they are there, Phoenix says he’s a lawyer for whoever’s been arrested, the guards let them in but warn them about visiting hours, etcetera. They’ve been doing it enough that Phoenix can set his brain on autopilot while doing the whole shtick. Usually, Maya breaks him out of his dazed state though.

**[ May 16, 12:45 PM ]**

**[ Detention Center, Visitor’s Room]**

When Phoenix pushes open the doors into the visiting room, they see the man who they’re defending. He sits behind the glass wall, whistling a simple tune as he leans against his hand.

Their client, Doctor Sung. 

* * *

_“_ _He’s the frontman of the band and plays mean synth.” Meouch proudly says. He crosses his arms and huffs, raising his head proudly. “Seriously, Doctor Sung’s the best, dude.”_

_Maya brings her thumb to her chin and produces a small hum. “You keep calling him ‘Doctor Sung’.”_

_Meouch’s face is unreadable. “Yeah?”_

_“So, what?” She chuckles. “Is his first name ‘Doctor’?” The suggestion pins a smile on Phoenix's face but he can’t help but stop when Meouch tilts his head, his eyebrow perks up and he pouts slightly. It makes Phoenix doubt that Meouch is in a costume._

_Phoenix finally takes the hint, it seems Maya does too as her hand covers her gaping mouth with eyes open wide in surprise. He breathes in. “Don’t tell me…”_

_“Is that weird?” Meouch cracks a nervous smile. “Whoops…”_

* * *

He isn’t hard to spot.

The first thing they notice is the giant bright orange pylon on his head, something akin to a traffic cone. Sleek dark shades cover his face down to the top of his nose which too proudly displays a tacky moustache above a beaming grin. He dons garish yellow spandex with dramatic black shoulder pads and a black chest plate. In the middle of Doctor’s chest plate, something glows brightly. An LED, Phoenix thinks.

Then Phoenix starts to wonder why he’s still in costume.

Shrugging the thought off, Phoenix and Maya sit across from the weird costumed guy. “Heyo!” Doctor Sung waves cheerfully, despite being locked up, their client seems extremely happy. His voice sounds like that of a workout professional, his muscles help to further prove that point. “Are you two the lawyers Meouch sent?”

“Uh, _I’m_ the lawyer.” Phoenix corrects. “Maya’s just my assistant.”

She smiles upon being called, proudly sitting up straight. “I’m the cool one!” She claims. “Nick’s the boring old man. It’s a good contrast.”

“Anyway,” The lawyer pulls his briefcase up to the bench and shoots his client a reassuring nod. “You’re in good hands, Mr Sung! I will get you out of here, I swear it.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.” Sung expresses. “Did Meouch tell you much about the case?”

“Uh, a few things.”

* * *

_“I can’t tell you much about the case, dude.” Meouch slumps forward sadly. “The detective working the case wouldn’t tell me anything.”_

_‘Gumshoe...’ Phoenix mentally grumbles._

_“All I know is that Lazerhorse was murdered in the basement and that they found Sung somewhere on the crime scene.”_

_Phoenix knots his hands together. “Do you know where?”_

_“I heard in the closet.” Meouch hums. “It’s weird though… Everyone in the house never saw the body until the cops came so the only one who could’ve called the police was Sung.”_

_“But he didn’t call the police, did he?”_

_Meouch laughs quietly. “We didn’t even know you could call the police down here.”_

* * *

“Do you have an alibi?” Phoenix asks only to be met with Sung smiling dumbly.

“Huh?” Sung sounds.

“An alibi.” Phoenix repeats. “You... know what an alibi is? Right?” He asks, furrowing his eyebrows, feeling concerned.

“Haha…”

 _“Doctor.”_ He buries his head in his hands, air hissing as he inhales sharply.

“I’m sorry!” Sung apologises, waving his hands. “Y’know, I haven’t been down here for a super long time.”

Phoenix pauses, his brow quirks as he looks up from the bench. “In America?”

“No!” Sung laughs then he loudly declares, “On planet Earth!”

 _“Huh?”_ Phoenix’s eyes widen and he starts to feel a little sick. He’s defending a _lunatic_. 

Maya gasps and slams her hands on the bench. Her eyes are sparkling with piqued interest. “Y-You’re an alien?!”

“Yeah! Didn’t Meouch tell you?” Sung asks.

“He didn’t!” Maya answers. “He just said your first name was Doctor!”

Sung tilts his head to the side. “Well, isn’t that a common human name?”

“No, it’s a title.” Phoenix raises his eyebrow. _“A job.”_

 _“Whaaaat?”_

Phoenix sighs. “That’s not the point, though…” He says. “Just tell us what you were doing on the night of the murder.”

“Oh, easy!” Sung’s smile comes back, completely ignoring his slip from before. “On the night of the murder, I was in bed texting my friend.”

A silent pause. Phoenix blinks patiently, Maya is still intrigued from before and Sung stares dumbly. It takes ten seconds for Phoenix to finally realise.

“That’s it?” He asks weakly.

“That’s it!” Sung answers. “It’s funny,” He says, immediately giving Phoenix the sense that it probably was not. “I was awake while Lazerhorse was being murdered too! I can’t believe I didn’t hear anything from the basement.”

“Oh my God.” Phoenix groans.

“Hey, why were you hiding in the closet?” Maya asks. Phoenix’s head perks up. Sung lets out a little hum as he tilts his head. Maya leans forward, looking Sung directly towards the shades of his helmet. “When we were talking to Meouch, he said that the police caught you hiding in the closet on the morning after the murder.” 

“Oh, right!” Sung exclaims. “Well, when I saw the body I…” He sucks in air, a weak grin on his face. “... _might’ve_ been trying to hide the body in the closet.”

Phoenix’s eyes widen, his brows furrow and he feels a small migraine coming on. “You were trying to _what?”_

“L-Look! I didn’t murder Lazerhorse, I _solemnly_ promise!” He states, raising his right hand in the air and placing his left hand on his chest, just above the glowing area of his chest plate. “I just don’t know what you humans do with dead bodies–”

“Stop it with the alien stuff!” Phoenix yells. Sung and, for some odd reason, Maya are both taken aback. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here but you are _not_ _an alien!”_

For once Sung’s stupid grin fades away, he jolts at Pheonix’s outburst and for a second Phoenix feels just a bit powerful. Then Sung says, “How would _you_ know?”

A simple but dumb, “Huh?” Is all Phoenix can muster.

Sung crosses his arms. “Have _you_ ever seen an alien?” He asks in a dull voice, or 'dull' compared to his Canadian workout instructor accent. Before Phoenix can answer, he continues. “You’d be surprised with the number of aliens on Earth. I mean, the band and I certainly were.”

“What does _that_ mean?” 

“It’s not subtext or anything,” Sung explains. “All of TWRP are aliens and that’s that on that.” His smile comes back, except it’s more prideful than before. He raises his head and he leans back on his chair, satisfied.

Phoenix feels stupid, he feels stupid for feeling stupid but he can’t help but believe the costumed man’s words. Meouch didn’t look a costume–

 _‘Wait, no.’_ Phoenix thinks. _‘None of them are aliens. He's just… delusional?’_

“...Uh, sorry, I didn’t catch that.” He finds himself thinking about a specific part of their conversation. “What’s your band name again?”

“Tupper Ware Remix Party,” Sung replies happily. “But just so our asses don’t get sued, just call it TWRP!”

“TWRP?” Maya repeated curiously as if to test the sounds herself.

“Yeah, T-W-R-P!” Sung sounds out. He brings up his hand to bounce along to the letters, like the conductor of an orchestra. “TWRP!”

Phoenix nods, glancing over to Maya who shoots a confident smile. “Okay then, Doctor Sung. We’ll be on our way now.” Phoenix pushes himself up, watching Maya do the same thing but with an energetic hop. “Whatever you do, just don’t tell anyone about you hiding the body, okay?”

“Even if they ask me about the closet?”

“ _Especially_ if they ask you about the closet.”

Sung nods, “Okay, then!” 

Phoenix begins to turn away before twisting his head around to Doctor’s direction. “Also, could you _please_ promise me you won’t tell the detectives you’re an alien.”

“I can’t–”

 _“Please.”_ Phoenix practically begs.

Sung chuckles. “Okay, okay, fine. I won’t tell them that _I’m an_ _alien who’s been alive for billions of years!”_ He says the last part slightly louder, like a dad trying to embarrass his child in front of their friends. The guard’s head turns towards them, raising their eyebrow in a confused fashion, Phoenix can’t help but to awkwardly smile and wave.

_"Sung."_

"He isn't a detective! I haven't broken any promises!"

Phoenix starts to wonder what he's signed himself up for.


	3. Bribing Burgers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After talking to Doctor Sung, Phoenix and Maya go to the scene of the crime to investigate further! And maybe they bribe a certain detective to get there.

**[ May 16, 1:30 PM ]**

**[ The TWRP Household ]**

Loud sirens alarm through the area. Police tape surrounds a house as onlookers gape at the sight. Mutters and whispers, rumours and gossip, all the while Detective Gumshoe struggles to push back the crowd. 

It’s only a regular cul-de-sac but the mob of neighbours, journalists and other individuals made it feel smaller and packed, like that of a mosh pit but less angry and more confused.

Phoenix and Maya stand at the edge of the rabble, quietly watching the mass of noise and confusion enclose around the seemingly normal house. White picket fence and neatly painted home with a nicely kept lawn.

Phoenix sighs, realising he’s going to have to go through the crowd to be able to get to the crime scene. “Hey, Maya.” Maya lifts her head inquisitively. “You might want to hold on to my sleeve while we go through the crowd.” She nods and smiles.

As Phoenix and Maya travel through the crowd they hear a range of different conversations.

 _“I heard they kept someone locked up in their basement…”_ One whispers to their friend, loud enough for Phoenix to hear but quietly enough for it not to cause an uproar.

Another asks, _“Wait, isn’t that the house of those aliens?”_ They look towards their friend for consultation but all they received was a shrug.

And one person states, _“The cat one can do some pretty sick bass riffs, not sure about the furry aesthetic but whatever.”_

“Excuse me, sorry,” Phoenix mutters five or six times while shoving his way through the small crowd. Maya grips tightly onto his sleeve as the two traverse through the public.

When they’re close to the house, they hear an angry, “Release Sung! He didn’t do anything!” Directed to no other than Detective Gumshoe, who continues to encourage people to step away from the scene. The person who yelled it, it’s hard to make out their face. Crazy hair splayed all over the place, that was all Phoenix could make out. 

“Hey, pal! Unless you have hard evidence, I don’t wanna hear a peep outta you!” He stubbornly responds. 

_‘Classic Gumshoe.’_ Phoenix can’t help to think and judging by Maya’s confident sigh, she’s thinking the same thing.

Gumshoe’s head perks up with a grin. “Hey, I notice that over-gelled up hairstyle anywhere!” He says when Phoenix and Maya finally make it to the police tape. “Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey!” He laughs. “Let me guess, you’re defending Doctor Sang?”

“Er– Sung.” Phoenix corrects. “And, yeah. I guess I am.”

Detective Gumshoe grins confidently. “Well, hate to tell ya, pal, but the case is practically open and shut!” His voice booms, his boldness makes it louder. “Doctor Sang–”

“Sung.” Maya this time.

“– _Sung_ is the murderer of the crime, pal!” He asserts. “Mr Edgeworth’s got this case in the bag.”

 _‘Of course, Edgeworth’s prosecuting.’_ Phoenix mentally groans. _‘He’s going to give Sung hell…’_

“So, what do ya need, pal?” Gumshoe finally asks.

“Could have started with that…” Phoenix mutters before clearing his throat. “Do you think we can go investigating around the house, Detective?”

Gumshoe lets out a stern hum. “Hmmm, I don't know about that, pal.” He says. “Mr Edgeworth’s been getting very strict with my paycheck…”

“Aw, c’mon Gumshoe.” Phoenix clasps his hands together. “I have to get this case together and so far you’re the only guy I can talk to.” Gumshoe makes a strangled kind of sound, like he doesn’t want to disappoint them but there’s nothing he can do about it.

“What if we struck a deal?” Maya asks. Phoenix gets a bad feeling.

“A deal?” Gumshoe repeats.

“If you let us in and investigate, then Phoenix will get us lunch at the burger junction down the road!” She smiles.

Phoenix furrows his eyebrows. “Wait–”

Gumshoe, on the other hand, looks delighted, as if he’s about to cry at the thought of eating a burger. _Geez, was Edgeworth that harsh about his salary?_ “You’d really do that, pal?” 

“No–”

“Yes!” Maya affirms. “He’ll get whatever you order!”

“I won’t!” Phoenix makes a big X with his arms.

“C’mon, Nick!” Maya whispers loudly to him, it’s a wonder Gumshoe can’t hear. “Take one for the team! We have a chance to investigate the house and then when we buy him food we can ask him questions!”

Phoenix knows all of that but Maya’s three burger surprise from before left his wallet lighter than a feather. Still, he sighs and says, “Yeah, I’ll order you a burger if you let us go around the house.”

Maya and Gumshoe cheer, they hold each other’s hands and start jumping on the spot. Phoenix can feel onlookers judging them so he embarrassingly covers his face. “Thank you, pal! Thank you!” Gumshoe runs over to Phoenix and squeezes him with a hug. Phoenix wheezes.

As they tour the house, Phoenix and Maya start to feel like something… isn't right.

Well, the house is normal, walls are painted white (except for the bedrooms which are painted in a variety of other colours depending on the room, Phoenix guesses the yellow room at the end of the hallway belongs to Sung), wooden floorboards which emit a squeak when you step on it, the living room is carpeted, the house is clean. Really what makes Phoenix and Maya feel off is how _normal_ the house is.

That’s until they find little interesting knick-knacks, sprinkled all over the house. Of course, they couldn’t thoroughly investigate the place, the police surrounded the area but didn’t seem to mind Phoenix and Maya’s presence.

Nunchuck collections, colourful posters of “LADYWORLD” and other planets all hang on the walls of the comfy adobe. Here and there you can find plants, Phoenix swears he hears one sing a few notes before wiping it away from his mind.

In the living room, there’s a punching bag with a label that reads ‘The Stress Bag’. It’s _extremely_ worn out to the point where it looks sad and limp. Knives are sticking out of it, violent claw marks stretch throughout the shrivelled bag and alongside all of that, black singe marks cover most of the thing.

Beside the living room is a kitchen, it’s clean and pretty standard save for the exotic fruits. On the kitchen counter, there’s a single half-empty bottle of ranch. It's really big, and has a post-it note that says ‘space ranch’. It sparkles for some reason and the colour feels off, a little more of a desaturated blue than the standard creamy white.

Phoenix emits a quiet, “Huh…” as they look around the house. It was so boring yet so _intriguing_.

Gumshoe clears his throat. “Now, I don’t know how long I can have you two here for, so I say we should go down to the basement.” Phoenix and Maya nod before following Gumshoe to the basement door. 

It’s not easy to find, if it was closed then it would be camouflaged in the wooden floorboards somewhere in between the kitchen and the living room carpet. Luckily, the hatch was left wide open for free investigation. 

The basement completely contrasts the stunningly ordinary state of the house. It was so bad that from the outside it’s easy to tell how unkempt and disorderly it was left. The basement’s dusty leaving it an almost sickening dark brown, spider webs stretch throughout the chamber and groups of mouldy food in bags were left just lying around. The sight of the basement from the outside left an almost ominous feeling like something would crawl out and latch onto their legs.

Gumshoe grabs a flashlight conveniently hiding in his pocket and starts climbing down the stairs. It creaks wearily when accommodating for the sudden weight. Phoenix sharply inhales before following the detective, then Maya follows behind him.

It feels like the three took a trip into a horror movie with no warning, Phoenix can practically hear the sinister soundtrack playing as they all make their way down into the basement. All that was needed was for someone to suddenly shut the trapdoor behind them.

Gumshoe flashes the light to the chalk drawing of where the body was. “So… there was the body.” He states the obvious, probably to relieve tension from being inside a gothic fiction basement wonderland. “You two can walk around, take the flashlight.” Gumshoe hands the flashlight to Maya. “Just don’t tamper with the crime scene, pal.”

Phoenix nods. He can’t make himself talk, it just so happens that creepy, hidden basements make him shut up.

From above someone yells, _“Detective Gumshoe?!”_ and Gumshoe immediately jumps. “Well, that’s my time to go! Remember no tamperin’, pal!”

“Okay, Gumshoe!” Maya finally says as the detective walks back up the stairs. To be honest, it’s more like running to escape whatever demon lives in the basement. As soon as he leaves, Phoenix swears some of the items on the shelves begin to glow unnaturally, it makes Phoenix shiver.

Maya plays around with the flashlight for a bit, she shifts the light across the room before stopping at a particular spot on the ground. Phoenix looks where the flashlight stopped to see a piece of purple cloth. Phoenix approaches the fabric and picks it up, defying the detective’s rule. 

“Do you think that could have belonged to the murderer?” Maya asks.

“Maybe…” Phoenix brings his hand up to his chin. “It could just be old fabric but it could be evidence.” 

**[ Scrap of Purple Fabric added to the Court Record. ]**

“They really cleared out the place,” Maya says to fill the silence, she waves her flashlight around a bit more. “Wait… Look over there!” Something glistened, a thin line with a wavy form.

Phoenix walks towards it to discover that it’s a thick metal string. When he picks it up, he immediately takes note of the texture, it’s mildly rough but it’s still noticeable. As he slides his fingers through the string he notices something. “Hey, Maya,” He says, walking towards his friend with the string on hand. “This string’s definitely brand new, right?”

Maya takes a look at the silver, sharp string and nods. “Yeah, it looks like it was bought just yesterday.”

“What if it _was_ bought just yesterday?” Phoenix asks. “I think someone’s trying to frame our client, Maya.”

“Boy, when do we get a case when someone ISN’T being framed?” Maya rolls her eyes.

**[ Strange Cord (?) added to the Court Record. ]**

Phoenix just hums in response. He takes another round of the room, checking every nook and cranny. He looks through the shelves, shuffling things around until a photo flies off the shelf and onto the ground.

Phoenix examines it as Maya comes around to light up the picture. Before they can properly depict what’s in the photo the door opens back up. “Hey, pals!”

 _“Shit!”_ Phoenix barely whispers before ungracefully sliding the photo in his pocket. He works his best smile and turns around, sweat threatening to begin dripping down his forehead. “Ah! Detective! How are you?”

“Eh, I’m doin’ fine, pal! Thanks for askin’!” Gumshoe practically announces, he only walks down five steps before stopping. He really is scared of the basement. He laughs weakly, “Hey pals, I can't help but feel a bit hungry.” He says, very blatantly referring to a certain deal.

Maya smiles. “Is it time for lunch?” Phoenix can’t help but shoot Maya a glare.

The detective twiddles his thumbs and looks off. “I mean… if you guys want to eat now, I’ll do whatever you want, pal.”

Phoenix huffs, slumping his shoulders just a bit. _‘Just say you want food, Detective.’_

“Don’t worry! We’ll eat if you want to right now.” Maya says, switching off the flashlight and walking towards the stairs. “C’mon, Nick! Food’s awaiting and the detective's stomach is empty!”

Phoenix furrows his brows then shoves his hands into his pockets. He twitches when he feels a cold and smooth object in one of the pockets but relaxes when he remembers it’s just the photo. 

“C’mon, Nick! Hurry it up!” Maya is already waiting at the door.

Phoenix sighs, walking slowly. “I’m coming.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanna give a big thank you to the folks over at TWRPcord, specifically Rose, Jasper, Puff, Liz and Finch!! Also big thanks to @heartsinclaire over on Tumblr for forcing me to think of answers to questions I didn't think of.
> 
> I hope this ends up being completed, I think this will be a really fun project and I'm excited to start it!
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr and twitter on @cchippytime! I'll probably post occasional doodles for this au (and a sister au, NSP/AA) on both so– uh– yeah!


End file.
